Swimming pool



L. RUSSO SWIMMING POOL March 29, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 17, 1963 INVENTOR. LEONARD R0550 BY j fl fla 'fll/ ATTORNEYS March 29, 1966 Russo 3,242,503

SWIMMING POOL Filed May 17, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m *1 I I 1 U l t I ll L:

INVENTOR.

LEONARD P0550 KUTORNEYS United States Patent 3,242,503 SWIMMING POQL Leonard Russo, Scottsdale, Ariz., assignor to United States Safety Pool Corporation, Scottsdale, Ariz., a corporation of Arizona Filed May 17, 1963, Ser. No. 281,241 3 Claims. (Cl. 4-172) The present invention pertains to swimming pools, and more specifically to swimming pools intended for use in those instances where it is desired to cover the pool for reasons of safety and pool cleanliness.

Swimming pools for use in private homes have become more popular; however, a privately owned swimming pool imposes several problems and difficulties upon the individual which sometimes prevents the prospective pool owner from purchasing a swimming pool. The most important of these difiiculties is concerned with child safety wherein small children may have access to the swimming pool and either cannot swim or cannot be depended upon to utilize the pool facilities safely. The labor involved in keeping a pool clean also acts as a deterrent, in many instances, to the purchase of a pool. The frequent brushing and vacuuming of the pool and, in some instances, the emptying and refinishing of stained pool walls is a serious problem with prior art pools.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a swimming pool that will be safe for children.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a swimming pool that may safely be used as a wading pool for children and may subsequently be utilized for swimming or driving if so desired.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a swimming pool that requires substantially less cleaning than swimming pools of the prior art.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a pool that may be covered during periods of non-use to prevent the collection of debris and dirt in the pool.

It is a further object to provide a swimming pool that may safely be emptied for extended periods of time while not in use.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the description thereof proceeds.

Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, I provide a swimming pool having a first and second bottom wall. The first bottom wall is joined to the sides of the swimming pool and is sloped sufficiently to prevent the collection of debris on the bot tom thereof. The second bottom wall of the swimming pool is positioned above the first bottom wall and is sloped to provide the usual pool depths of 3 feet to 8 feet. The second bottom wall is secured to a means for raising and lowering the wall and for changing the slope of the wall. The means for raising and lowering may conveniently take the form of an inflatable pontoon which may be filled or emptied by means of the usual recirculating pump common to all swimming pools. The second bottom may be raised to a shallow depth without slope to provide a large wading pool for children; alternatively, the second wall may be raised flush with the top of the water in the swimming pool to provide a support for a cover to thereby prevent the collection of debris in the pool during periods of non-use. Also, when the second wall is raised flush to the top of the pool, the pool becomes safe for children since it would be impossible for a child to fall into the water with the second wall locked into the top position.

My invention may more readily be described in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a swimming pool constructed in accordance with the teachings of my invention.

, 3,242,503 Patented Mar. 29, 1966 ice FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the swimming pool of FIG. 1 showing various portions thereof.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation, partially in section, of the swimming pool of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a pontoon useful in the swimming pool of my invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged portion of the second bottom wall of the swimming pool of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of FIG. 3 taken along line 6-6.

FIG. 7 shows a ladder constructed in accordance with the teachings of my invention for use in the swimming pool of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the swimming pool comprises four sides, Illa, 10b, 10c, and 10d, which I shall refer to simply as the side wall 10 and a bottom wall 11. The illustrations shown in the accompanying figures show a rectangular swimming pool; it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the pool may take any convenient shape. The side wall 10 of the embodiment illustrated is substantially vertical. The bottom wall 11 includes several sloping portions each of which has a slope substantially in excess of that which would be permitted using prior art techniques. The sloping portion 15 is steep enough to prevent the collection of debris and dirt thereon. The dirt settling from the water and falling on the sloping surface 15 will gradually descend into the well 16 which is formed integral with the bottom and includes a drain 17 at the extreme bottom portion thereof. The well 16 is shaped in the form of an inverted pyramid and can most easily be seen in FIG. 3. A second well 20, similar to the first, is also provided with a drain 21 and is positioned contiguous to the first well. The example chosen for illustration shows two wells and a bottom portion 15 all forming the bottom wall of the pool. If the dimensions of the swimming pool included a length in excess of that shown, an additional well may be added in order to extend the bottom wall. Similarly, if the length of the pool were much shorter, only one drain would be required and the slope of all surfaces of the bottom wall would be sufiicient to dispense with the need for separate wells as illustrated. The steeply sloped surfaces of the first bottom wall 11 prevent debris from collecting on the wall and provide substantially maintenance-free operation of the pool over long periods of time.

The swimming pool also includes a second bottom wall which conforms to the outline shape of the swimming pool and, in its lowered position, rests as indicated at points 31 and 32. With the second bottom wall in the position shown in FIG. 3, the customary swimming pool depths are provided (3 feet at the shallow end and 8 feet at the deep end). An enlarged portion of the second bottom wall 30 may be seen by an inspection of FIG. 5. Referring to FIG. 5, the second bottom wall 30 of the swimming pool may be constructed of a rigid material such as aluminum, steel, etc., and is provided with a plurality of openings 35 therein. The openings 35 may be small round holes as shown or may be a honey-comb structure having openings sufiiciently small to be comfortable when the wall is walked upon. The openings in the wall permit water to flow therethrough, and also permit dirt and debris to flow through the wall without collection thereon.

The wall is provided with eyes or U-bolts at each corner thereof which may be secured to a steel cable or chain 41. The cable or chain may also take the form of a nylon rope or other material that is substantially unaffected by chlorinated water. The cable 41 is passed over pulleys 42 at each of the corners of the pool side walls and acts as a guide and locking means for the second bottom as will be described more fully hereinafter. A lifting and lowering means such as a pontoon 43 is seit extends horizontally across the length of the pool.

cured to the bottom of the second bottom wall and may extend in any convenient manner over the bottom surface of the wall. The pontoon may be shaped to have a cross section as indicated in FIG. 4 to prevent debris from accumulating on the top thereof. It may be noted that the bottom half of the pontoon is semi-circular in cross section whereas the top half of the pontoon provides a triangular cross section with the apex thereof in contact with the bottom surface of the second bottom wall. A trap door 45 is also provided in the second bottom wall in those instances where it is desired to gain access to the first bottom wall for repair of the pool, etc.

The pontoon is provided with an inlet and outlet flexible pipe 47 and 48 for pumping water into and removing water from the pontoon. A third flexible pipe 50 connects the pontoon to the atmosphere to prevent air from being trapped in the pontoon. The connections of the various pipes to the pontoon and :to the swimming pool pump system is shown clearly in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 3, the inlet 47 and outlet 48 pipes to the pontoon are connected to the outlet 55 and inlet 56 respectively of a recirculating pump 60. The pump 60 may conventionally be the recirculating pump and filter combination customarily provided with domestic swimming pools. Both the inlet and outlet to the pontoon are provided with valves 62 and 63 to selectively add water to, or take water from, the pontoon. The drains of the first bottom wall of the swimming pool are also connected to the pump filter inlet, and a pool inlet 65 is connected to the pump filter outlet. When it is desired to raise the second bottom wall from the position shown in FIG. 3, valve 63 is opened and valve 62 is closed. Water is thus drawn from the pontoon and the volume of water removed is replaced by air flowing from the air inlet at the opposite end of the pontoon. As the water is removed from the pontoon, the pontoon becomes lighter and its buoyancy is increased to thereby exert pressure on the bottom of the second bottom wall of the pool. Subsequently, the pool bottom pivots about point 31 until To provide for this pivoting action, the wall of the swimming pool at the deep end thereof is tapered slightly so that the second bottom wall will follow the side wall contour until the second bottom wall is horizontal thereby providing a uniform 3 foot depth over the entire swimming pool.

The cable and pulley arrangement at the deep end of the second bottom wall merely follows the movement of the bottom wall and does not aid in any Way the moving of the second bottom wall to its new position. If the pool is to be used as a wading pool, the cable and pulley arrangements at each corner of the second bottom wall may be clamped or locked in position by any convenient means such as that shown at 70 to prevent the second bottom wall from tipping under the weight of bathers. If the pool is to be secured for a period of non-use, or if small children are in the area and it is desired to secure the pool against accidents, the second bottom wall of the pool is raised as before until the bottom wall reaches the upper limit of its travel which would usually be when the surface of the second bottom wall is flush with the surface of the water. The second bottom wall is subsequently locked in place, and the pool is secure against accidental drownings or other such mishaps. With the second bottom wall in the elevated position the pool may conveniently be covered by canvas, plastic or the like to prevent debris from entering the pool. The second bottom wall, when in the elevated position, acts as an excellent support for such covering in contrast to the ditficulties arising from the use of coverings over conventional swimming pools since the coverings must be weighted or secured at the edges and the expanse of covering over the pool collects dirt which is diificult to remove or which is violently whipped by wind. The covering may conveniently be Weighted at regular intervals over the entire surface of the pool when the second bottom wall of the pool of the present invention is in its elevated position. Further, when the bottom is elevated the pool may be emptied and access may be gained to the first bottom wall of the pool through the trap door.

Ladders for the convenience of bathers may be provided in the instant pool by the type of ladder normally used on shipboard. Such ladders normally hook into a fitting provided on the top of the deck and extend into the water and are held away from the boat side by extensions of the hand rails. Similarly, a ladder of this nature may be utilized in the instant pool; however, a permanent ladder may be used as indicated in FIG. 7. The ladder comprises a pair of parallel hand rails 75 and 76 each of which is secured to the side wall of the swimming pool. A plurality of steps 78 extend horizontally between the side rails and are pivoted at one end thereof to one of the side rails and merely rest against the opposite side rail or rest against an extension of the opposite side rail. In this manner, a pair of relatively small openings 80 as shown in FIG. 2 may be provided in the second bottom wall of the swimming pool which will move upwardly and around the permanently attached side rails while that portion of the bottom wall between the side rails will engage the bottom of the steps and urge the respective steps to pivot about the individual pivots until they extend vertically and pass through the same openings provided for the side rails. Pivoting steps of the type described yield a ladder that prevents injuries by enabling the horizontal portions thereof to pivot upwardly when and if a persons foot comes between the bottom of a step and the rising second bottom wall.

While the swimming pool of the present invention has been described in terms of a rectangular shape, and in terms of a first bottom wall having two wells, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the shape of the pool may vary considerably; and the first bottom wall, while retaining sufiicient slope to prevent the collection of debris thereon, may vary radically from that illustrated in connection with the embodiment chosen for illustration. The swimming pool of the present invention will normally be constructed of painted galvanized steel; however, other materials may readily be used such as reinforced concrete, gunnite, fiberglass, etc. Also the cable and pulley arrangement described in connection with the above figures is merely illustrative of one means for guiding and locking the second bottom wall of the swimming pool of my invention. Obviously, many variations may be made and systems devised in lieu of the simple cable and pulley structure that I have shown. Thus, many modifications and deviations may be made from the embodiments described above without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Accordingly, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A swimming pool comprising, means defining a side wall, a first bottom wall joined to said side wall to form a container for water, a plurality of drains each positioned in said first bottom wall to receive water from said container, said first bottom wall having a plurality of slopes each directed to one of said plurality of drains, a second bottom wall adjustably positioned above said first bottom Wall and having an adjustable slope, the maximum slope of said second bottom wall being less than the minimum slope of any of the plurality of slopes of said first bottom wall, a pontoon member secured to the bottom of said second bottom wall for raising and lowering said second bottom wall while simultaneously changing the slope thereof, and means connected to said pontoon member for adding and removing water therefrom to thereby alter the buoyancy of said pontoon member.

2. A swimming pool system comprising, a container for water having a first bottom wall, a drain positioned in said first bottom wall to receive water from said container, a pool inlet for delivering water to said container, pump means having an inlet and an outlet connected to said drain and said pool inlet respectively, a rigid second bottom wall positioned above said first bottom wall and having a plurality of openings extending therethrough, pontoon means secured to the bottom of said second bottom wall for raising and lowering said second bottom wall, pontoon inlet and outlet means connected to the outlet and inlet of said pump means respectively for adding and removing Water from said pontoon means, valve means connected to said pontoon inlet and outlet means for controlling the flow of water to and from said pontoon means.

3. A swimming pool system comprising, a container for water having a first bottom wall, a drain positioned in said first bottom wall to receive water from said container, 3. pool inlet for delivering water to said container, pump means having an inlet and outlet connected to said drain and said pool inlet respectively, a rigid second bottom wall positioned above said first bottom wall and having a plurality of openings extending therethrough, pontoon means secured to the bottom of said second bottom wall for raising and lowering said second bottom wall, pontoon inlet References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,918,437 7/ 1933 Torrance.

1,963,405 6/1934 Eichelman et a1 4172 2,073,784 3/1937 Day 4-172 3,000,017 9/1961 Skovira 4172 3,045,253 7/1962 Price 4-172 3,046,566 7/1962 Berman 4172 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD V. BENHAM, Examiner.

20 H. GROSS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SWIMMING POOL COMPRISING, MEANS DEFINING A SIDE WALL, A FIRST BOTTOM WALL JOINED TO SAID SIDE WALL TO FORM A CONTAINER FOR WATER, A PLURALITY OF DRAINS EACH POSITIONED IN SAID FIRST BOTTOM WALL TO RECEIVE WATER FROM SAID CONTAINER, SAID FIRST BOTTOM WALL HAVING A PLURALITY OF SLOPES EACH DIRECTED TO ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF DRAINS, A SECOND BOTTOM WALL ADJUSTABLY POSITIONED ABOVE SAID FIRST BOTTOM WALL AND HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE SLOPE, THE MAXIMUM SLOPE OF SAID SECOND BOTTOM WALL BEING LESS THAN THE MINIMUM SLOPE OF ANY OF THE PLURALITY OF SLOPES OF SAID FIRST BOTTOM WALL, A PONTOON MEMBER SECURED TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID SECOND BOTTOM WALL FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID SECOND BOTTOM WALL INSIDE SIMULTANEOUSLY CHANGING THE SLOPE THEREOF, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID PONTOON MEMBER FOR ADDING AND REMOVING WATER THEREFROM TO THEREBY ALTER THE BUOYANCY OF SAID PONTOON MEMBER. 